Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 552,700; its urban area has a population of 2,700,000 people (27% of the country's population). The city's name comes from the Phoenician term "Alis-Ubo", meaning "safe harbor"; the Phoenicians founded a trading post at Lisbon in 1200 BC, but it was later abandoned. The city was known as "Olissipo" during Roman times, and it became a center for the dissemination of Christianity. In 711, the Moors conquered Lisbon during their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, but Afonso I of Portugal conquered Lisbon in 1147 during the Reconquista and the Second Crusade. All mosques were completely destroyed or turned into churches, and spoken Arabic disappeared altogether. In 1255, Lisbon became the capital of Portugal, and it still serves that function today. Lisbon is regarded as a global city, and it has one of the largest Atlantic container ports, as well as a large tourism industry.